Skokie Country Club

Detailed description of Skokie Country Club

Skokie Country Club is a Private, 18 hole golf course located in Glencoe, Illinois.

The first Skokie Country Club golf course first opened for play in 1897. The course was a 9-hole layout designed by a club member. Three more layouts have resulted in the course seen today.

The second layout came about In 1904. An 18-hole course was built under the design direction of Thomas Bendelow. A noted architect in his day, he also designed Medinah No. 3 and Olympia Fields Nos. 1 and 2.

The third design was completed ten years later. Skokie is known as a “Donald Ross Course”. The legendary designer came to Skokie in 1914. With his signature “fore bunkers” 20 to 30 yards short of the green, lofted shots to mounded greens were promoted.

In 1938, the Club acquired additional adjacent land. This allowed a substantial reworking of the layout. The architectural team of William Langford and Theodore Moreau were hired to design the “4th” layout. Fresh from their “masterpiece” at Lawsonia Links in Green Lake, Wisconsin, they redesigned much of the layout with respect paid to the integrity of Mr. Ross’s intentions. With the exception of some modifications by the firm of Rees Jones in 1981, the current course is much as Langford and Moreau left it in the late 1930’s.

In 1999, the membership overwhelmingly approved the engagement of Mr. Ron Prichard to update the course. His extensive experience as a Donald Ross disciple was impressive and work began immediately. Mr. Prichard redesigned the greens and bunkers to the original Ross specifications and oversaw the removal of trees of poor or insignificant value. The result is classic Donald Ross.

Championship tees: par-72, 6,975 yards, 74.3 / 133

Middle tees: par-72, 6,545 yards, 72.5 / 131

Forward tees: par-76, 5,837 yards, 74.8 / 135